This morning on my walk home from work, I listened to The Thoughts podcast by John… John… Damn it, the guy doesn’t have his last name on his website, Facebook page, Twitter page, the RSS itself, or anywhere on the Internet as far as I can tell. So I can’t give you his proper name. I have to just say it was by “John,” and sound like I’m trying not to blow his witness protection identity. He does say his last name in the show, but I didn’t catch it well enough to spell it out. My pet peeve this week is not being able to properly give credit to someone because I don’t have their last name. (JustinBW, talkin bout you!)
But that is a small thing, and I will calm myself.
I grabbed “Episode 7: God, Gold, Glory. Magellan Pt 1” since it was a more recent episode and would reflect where John is at with his show these days. John starts off strong talking about the motivations of the New World explorers and those who financed and pushed them out onto the water. It’s a familiar story, most of us heard it in grade school, and once or twice more in junior high or high school. In college, they assumed you didn’t need to learn it again, but let’s be honest… you forgot all about Magellan somewhere between the time you turned in your History test and walked backed to your desk. And that was years ago, back when you spent hours each day chewing on the tip of a salty pencil. So when John reminds you that people conquered the unmapped world for… fucking spices, it might wake you up a little. Why? For chili peppers? Vanilla? Okay, chocolate is pretty important. I might get on a boat for some chocolate if that was the only way.
A few quick technical criticisms: 1. The voice recording is okay, but not good. Maybe John needs a better microphone or something. Sounds a little tinny with not much dynamic range. 2. There are maybe a half a dozen long pauses where John is getting his next words ready (turning a script page?). Best to edit these out.
Here is the main criticism with the show: It is just John talking for about an hour. He talks well, with a curious and interested tone, and the content is good, but the overall effect is like sitting down to a school lecture by a motivated and well-prepared teacher. Again, I’m not knocking his speaking talent. It sounds like he’s reading from a script, but still pretty conversational, and good variety in how he speaks. I just think it’s really tough for one person to give a compelling one-hour monologue. The ear wants something to break it up. That could be some other guests or actors. Small breaks in dialogue where music or sound effects pop in. (In the next episode, part 2, John brings in a welcome background of “at sea” effects–seagulls and creaking wood.) To compare, listen to Sarah Vowell’s audiobooks on history, like “The Wordy Shipmates”. It isn’t just her talking for hours in her creaky Lisa Simpson voice–she has letters and dialogue read by different actors.
I would also appreciate more personal thoughts from John. I don’t mean I’d like to hear about his cat being sick. I mean that the story John is telling must give him certain reactions and thoughts, and these I would like to hear. A few calls to empathy and imagination from the listeners could help too.
-Erik